Finding Light
by lynxzpanther
Summary: Picks up a couple months after book four left off. Starts with Warren trying to escape confinement; will anyone be able to set him free? What will he find in the world that he has been removed from for so long? PERMANENT HIATUS
1. Warren

**Hey, I did decide to start my own series based off of some ideas that ran through my head while I was camping with nothing else to do. :) Not that I minded. I love this series. **

**A bit of this first part is minutely based off of my one-shot Trapped; that would be the prologue, if you will, but it isn't exactly necessary to the story. I would have used that as the start to this series, but I honestly didn't think I would have so many ideas at the time. **

**Much thanks as always to the wonderful for really **_**being**_** my muse; without her I doubt that I could stay interested in anything for any real length of time. This whole series is for you :) Well, assuming that you like it. If not, you can just claim anything else that I write. :)**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Fablehaven. Wouldn't it be awesome if any of us could have been Brandon Mull? **

***** **

Warren stared around the storage space that was now his home (maybe even his _final_ home) and just took in all of the absolute junk that filled it up. It wasn't like he could ever say that out loud, though- Bubda liked his clutter. Warren though about moving things around, but the task seemed so impossible to ever handle alone. Still, if he didn't start looking for those air vents soon, it was likely that he would never manage to escape.

"Play cards?" Bubda asked. Warren had taught him minor poker games and blackjack; the poor troll had become quite an addicted gambler. To Warren's dismay, they _did_ gamble- food. It seemed as if his streak of bad luck, starting when he was put into that fear-induced coma, was still holding up steadily, because he almost always lost. _I should never have made those cards, _he thought dismally.

Of course, it did provide a good distraction…

…but he needed to search.

"No thanks, Bubda." He looked almost disappointed as he went back over to his old, nearly forgotten Yahtzee set.

And then Warren had an idea.

"Actually… I will play. But I have a different gamble today." His inspiration with his plan was growing each moment, along with his confidence.

"What gamble?" Bubda asked suspiciously.

"If I win, you help me search for the way out of here- the vents. If you win, I'll play five more rounds betting normally."

Bubda seemed to consider the likelihood of having to work versus the opportunity to gamble. Eventually, he left the Yahtzee set behind and started to deal the cards for blackjack. Warren smiled. Of course, he predictably lost the first game and continued to lose the five that followed, losing more of his food supply as time went on. He played again while hoping to win and start looking, but he lost. Finally, Warren tried to apply lost reserves of strategy. Slowly, he started to win. On the sixth game he won, much to Bubda's dismay. "Come on, let's start looking."

For a moment Warren feared that Bubda would just refuse, but then the troll grunted and stood up. "Bubda search."

Warren grinned huger than he had in a long time. If he didn't know better, he could swear that he and the troll were almost friends. Shaking his head in amusement Warren began to look, shoving boxes, chairs, barrels, bins, and countless other items out of his way. Nothing that he saw even started to resemble vents, but he had only just started to scratch the surface of searching. Bubda hadn't said a word from the time that he had started shoving around his collection, so Warren was left to assume that he hadn't discovered anything of use either. Warren was about to give up- for the time being, at least- when he shoved aside one last crate based on an instinctive feeling. There was nothing there…

…until a piece of paper poked into existence out of nowhere!

Warren hurriedly grabbed up the cards and replaced the letter with them so as to keep a mark on the invisible spot. He unfolded the letter and began to read….

He could hardly believe it. His hope soared.

He just might yet be saved.

***

**I'm sorry that this is horribly short (trust me, it probably annoys me more than anyone) and sadly very dull as well. Please review anyways. I have an idea for the second chapter, but it's not quite solid yet… **


	2. Seth

**This chapter took me about two days to write; it was really fun. :) I ended up writing a one-shot for a different series when I was halfway through this, but that's just testimony to the fact that my attention span is very, very tiny. :) **

**Anyways, this chapter was originally going to be twice as long, but I wanted to get this up more quickly, and it made me feel like I was actually making progress to have something to show **_**now. **_

**I give thanks once more to who kindly went through and checked this over for me before I put it up! She's my life-saver. **

**So: Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Fablehaven. I do love Warren, though! **

Seth wandered aimlessly through the house looking for _anything_ to distract him. He wasn't really surprised that he couldn't seem to find anyone, though; _everyone _was going places lately.

Everyone except him.

Even though Grandpa had made him a knight he hadn't had any missions. It was so unfair! Kendra had gotten a mission within her first hour!

As Seth finally wandered into the kitchen he found someone at the table. "Hey Grandma," he said. "Where is everyone else?"

His grandmother looked up from her book and smiled at Seth as he sat down across for her. "Kendra is in the garden, trying to talk to fairies. I'd advise not going there just now." Seth silently agreed. Ever since he had turned that one fairy into an imp, the others just hadn't liked him. He doubted from the way they acted that he could ever regain their friendliness. "Your grandpa is out visiting a friend who he thinks may have some clue about where the fifth hidden preserve might be." Seth nodded; Grandpa had mentioned that a couple of days before. "Tanu and Coulter are out meeting with friends all over the world trying to find out more information about the last hidden preserve as well… and about Warren."

"What about Dale?"

Grandma shook her head. "I'm not sure; I haven't seen him all day. He's probably at Warren's cabin."

Seth felt a tingling guilt inside of him as he thought of Warren. It had been months since their trip to the dragon sanctuary, but still they were no closer to finding Warren than they had been then. It wasn't exactly anyone's fault- they were all trying. But they were busy with openly facing and competing with the Society at all times. Even Warren himself would have agreed that the fate of the world took importance.

Still, Seth felt like he should be doing more. Out of everyone, except for maybe Dale, he was doing the least right now. It felt to him like he was letting Warren down by letting the others try to pick up the work in their small bits of free time- but what could he do to help?

"I'm going to go see if I can find Dale, Grandma," Seth said. She nodded absently, having gone back to reading, and Seth left the room.

He now had permission to wander areas of Fablehaven that he knew well, so long as he asked for permission first. The cabin was one of the easiest places to get to; he went there often, with or without permission.

When Seth reached the little cabin in the clearing he knocked carefully on the door. "Dale?" he asked out loud before he entered. Dale was sitting at the table, staring down at the surface, but he looked up when Seth came in.

"Oh," he said before looking back at the surface of the table. "Hey, Seth."

Seth hated how dejected Dale looked. This whole situation was the most unfair to him. Dale had lost his brother twice now, and this time there was _nothing _he could do- just like Seth himself.

Seth sat down across from Dale. "How are you?" he asked carefully. It wasn't a simple question nowadays, for any of them.

Dale shook his head. "Don't worry about me." It wasn't an answer, but Seth had to accept it. He knew that pushing Dale to his limits right now _wasn't_ the brightest of ideas. He'd made enough mistakes in the past.

They were silent for a while before Seth dared to say what he knew they were both thinking. "They're all working hard to get Warren back, you know. We're going to find him."

Dale nodded slowly. "You think you will."

For a moment Seth wasn't sure what to say, but then… "Didn't you once tell us that you would never know the day to give up on him, because you would never stop trying to get him back?"

Dale looked at him sadly. "There is no way, Seth."

Seth glared fiercely at Dale, his guilt that he'd done nothing fueling his anger at Dale for giving up. "There _is_ a way; we will find it! We won't give up on him, Dale! You shouldn't either."

When Dale didn't respond Seth took a closer look at him. Dale didn't look well at all- he was pale, too thin, and altogether sick looking. Seth felt guilty for getting angry, for yelling. "We will get him back home," Seth said in a somewhat kinder tone. "I won't give up."

Dale nodded slowly, more to stop Seth from continuing than to agree. "Alright Seth."

Seth sighed and put his head on his hand, staring down at the surface of the tale in a mirror image of his older friend. He meant what he said, but how could he help Warren? What could he possibly do?! Just when Seth started to feel like screaming from all of the pent up frustration he felt, he heard a soft voice on the wind- or so it seemed.

_Seth…_ Seth cocked his head, trying to listen carefully. _Come to me. _

Graulas?

_Seth… come to me. _

"Seth?" Startled, Seth looked to Dale. "Are you ok? You looked… confused."

Seth shrugged. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thought I heard something is all."

Despite himself Dale looked slightly worried. "Are you sure you're fine?"

Seth smiled slightly. "I'm the one that should be asking you."

Dale managed to smile back. "I'm fine."

Seth nodded, knowing that it wasn't the full truth, but knowing that Dale was trying to make it true. They sat for a while in silence, but Seth's mind had now wandered.

What could Graulas want? He had helped Seth before with the plague, and a few months later he had turned Seth into a shadow charmer. But what could he help with now? All of Seth's problems seemed to be beyond Fablehaven, at least for now.

Still, Graulas was too important of an ally- maybe only to Seth, but still- for Seth to ignore him now.

Seth knew what he had to do. As soon as the first opportunity presented itself, he would sneak away from the house. It was worth losing his privileges for this; he finally had something to do.

**I have the ideas for the next chapter set, but there is one slight problem that I need to figure out. I'm just going to re-read the third and fourth books before I actually write it to make sure that I get it right. :) Better safe than sorry! **

**So, thanks to anyone who has read these two chapters so far; please review! Any ideas, comments, constructive critism; please tell me! I'd love to learn how to do better. **

**Until next time… **


	3. Graulas

**Ok! I did it!**

**Almost two months without an update, and I'm sorry. Like it says on my profile, I thought I'd already put this general chapter up! And then I realized that I hadn't and I felt bad. XD So I didn't really know how to get it down until today when I just stared and the ground and went, "Suck it up and get writing."**

**What isn't so great is that past the next… two-ish chapters, I don't really know what I'm doing with this story. I have some general ideas and I'm working with them, but when the time comes I might be asking for some help. XD If you'd be so kind, that is.**

**Ok, ok, so I blab on and on a lot here, but I'll shut it now. On to the story.**

**Disclaimer: Of course, don't own them. Only Brandon Mull has the title of genius. XD**

*******

Seth lay fully clothed on his bed and stared up at the dark ceiling of his attic room He listened to the silent house, hearing nothing but his own quiet breathing. It was dark enough and silent enough that sneaking out now was probably safe, but Seth stayed still anyways.

Sneaking out shouldn't be too hard. Now only Hugo guarded the house at night; Tanu and Coulter had both put all of their efforts into resurrecting Mendigo, but in the end there had really been no way. The poor puppet had- figuratively- died valiantly, and he wasn't coming back. The hooks that he and Kendra had meticulously scavenged after the battle with the poison dragon were strung up through the room similar to wind chimes. It was their version of a commemorative. So, with only Hugo on guard Seth would have a fairly easy time getting out. After all, Hugo had been on his side last time.

Anyways, his grandparents probably hadn't even warned Hugo to be careful of Seth sneaking out. He had a perfect track record lately: no broken rules, he hadn't even complained once. Even tonight to avoid suspicion he'd stayed up just late enough to feign drowsiness and then, after the correct amount of time, he'd excused himself for bed. Seth had almost hoped he would fall asleep so that he wouldn't feel like he had to break the rules, but his luck wasn't set that way.

He did feel almost guilty to betray his grandparents trust. After all, he'd worked so hard to gain it and given up so much for it. Still, this was important. Graulas wouldn't have called for him if it wasn't. Though Seth was anxious, he wasn't necessarily afraid of visiting the dormant demon.

With a sigh Seth stood up and crept to the door. He silently made it down the stairs and through the house, not hearing anyone stir. He crept out into the yard and had almost made it to the trees before he heard Hugo's gravelly voice. "Set?"

Seth turned and confronted the giant gollum. "Hey Hugo," he said. "What's up?"

Hugo cocked his head slightly to the side, still focused on where Seth was inching towards the trees. "Where Set go?"

Seth sighed. "I need to go see Graulas, Hugo."

"Set no go," Hugo told him, almost _pled. _"Stan be mad if Set go."

"Do you want to come with me, Hugo? I need to go."

"Why Set need go?" Hugo questioned.

"It's about Warren, Hugo- Dale's brother?"

Hugo stared at Seth, visibly unsure of what to say. Then the giant creature nodded to him. "Hugo come wit Set."

Seth smiled, relieved that he had still managed to persuade Hugo to join his side. This time it was still incredibly important for the reason Seth had admitted: he was hoping that whatever he found out, it could help them with tracking down Warren.

Hugo picked up Seth and loped into the forest, taking the quickest paths to reach Graulas's lair. It took only minutes and Seth grew almost calmer as the time passed. Now, whatever happened would come. All he could do was go and listen.

***

Seth stepped into Graulas's lair and held in a choke at the smell. That wasn't something that he could easily get used to- or even forget! The reek of decay was horrible…

"Seth." Graulus's voice rang out, distracting Seth for a moment from the unpleasant odor. "You came."

Seth nodded slightly. "Yes. I thought it was probably important, I guess…"

"Have you… discovered any… abilities?" Graulas asked Seth.

He held back a sigh. "No. Nothing new has come up. I've tried, but I just can't seem to find anything."

"You will find… more of the abilities… as time goes on. You must be patient, Shadowcharmer. Your time… of glory… will come."

Seth nodded and swallowed before speaking up. "I know. I just hoped that I could find something. We're kind of looking for a friend of ours right now, but no one knows how to find him. I was thinking if there were any of my powers…"

"…that you would help?" The demon's question hung in the air. "I can sense… the one that you are searching for. Warren Burgess… is attached to this thing you call a preserve. He is not… here… but on the edges of my spectrum. If you develop… an ability… you will be able to find him."

"He's near? You're sure?"

"I sense his presence. I can only sense that… which is related to the preserve. He is… very near."

"I can find him?" Seth hardly dared to hope, and yet… what if?

"You will… find him… in due time. Your abilities… will manifest… soon. From there it is up to you…. Good luck, Shadowcharmer."

Seth nodded. "Thank you, Graulas. Should I… I mean…" Seth hesitated, unsure of how to say what he wanted. "Should I come back and tell you when an ability shows up?" The words came out in a rush.

"No, Seth… I will know. You do not need to come… to see me."

Seth nodded. "Ok. Thanks."

***

**Please review and tell me what you think. Or just yell at me for taking so long. XD Either way, you'll probably make me smile. Really, I do need a bit of feedback to keep this going- the story just takes so long to manifest in my mind! Each time I get a review it clears a bit, so if you could…? XD Thank'ee kindly.**

**Much love to anyone who read this! You keep me going.**


	4. Ability

**Ok! I just felt kinda like writing this one, having it in reserve just in case the next few chapters just aren't as easily written and all. Chapter Four! ~makes little trumpety noise~ XD I am halfway through writing chapter five, so that one should be up soon as well. =] I'm less sure of chapter six, but there's some baseline there. Past that, it's open territory! Woot! I'll figure it out as I go along. =]**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fablehaven. Love Warren! Still don't own it. XD How I admire Brandon Mull…**

*******

Seth sat on the porch the next afternoon, staring glumly into the trees. The statyrs had invited him to play tennis but he had declined. He wasn't in the mood to mess around.

He hadn't been in the mood for _anything _today. Though he knew that Warren was closer than any of them thought, he still hadn't developed any new shadow powers.

Seth had successfully managed to sneak by inside the previous night without getting caught. Though he'd slept in that morning, he had woken up in a bad mood. He had snapped at Kendra for suggesting that they go visit the naiad pond, he had been unable to finish Grandma's pancakes for breakfast, and had spent the rest of the day trying to stay out of the way of everyone in general.

Because, really, he still just felt useless. Even when he tried to help, to use his own unique abilities, he just _came up short! _Graulas had told him to be patient; well, Seth had been patient for _months! _Seth was sick of being patient. He needed to do something- anything- useful.

And yet there was just nothing that he could do.

His irritation and helplessness built up inside of him until he finally couldn't take it. When he reached the point where he felt like he would explode… he did. Well, he didn't exactly _explode. _But the feelings did. They burst out of him in a dark wave that seemed to almost cast shadows in the sunlight.

New ability? Seth watched the spreading wave of shadows, realizing that he could feel their progress and what was in their path. So then… what did this mean?

How did he re-create it?

His original wave disappeared and Seth closed his eyes, trying to focus once more on the feeling of those emotions exploding out from him. That feeling…

"What are you doing?"

"Huh?" Seth opened his eyes to see Kendra looking at him, amused and slightly concerned.

"Thinking much?"

"Oh." Seth shifted and rolled his eyes. "I _can _think, you know. I'm just not as much of a nerd as you are."

She rolled her eyes. "I don't know Seth… You _did _research in Paton's journal."

"That was one time!" Frustration built inside of him, but he kept it inside and just rolled his eyes. "You'll never let that go. I told you… the book fell open."

"Yeah," Kendra said, "_sure _it did. Really, though, tell me when you want that library card." Satisfied that she'd gotten in the last word she went back inside the house, leaving Seth alone once more.

Seth's frustration welled up again. Did she always have to win? Really?

Ignoring his sister's brief interruption he went back to focusing on the new ability. Now that he was frustrated, maybe he could use it…?

It took him a few minute, but he finally got the hang of how to expel the emotions correctly to create the shadow wave. Once again it was like a sixth sense, noticing everything in its path, making a perfect circle around him.

Seth tried it once more, this time focused. Now he didn't need to see everything, he just needed to look for _one _specific thing.

One specific person.

He sent out the wave and it quickly diminished in most directions, not sensing the main target. But to his left it seemed to keep going until Seth could _feel _it getting close to Warren. He left it there, a trail to follow, before letting it drop. Standing up he poked his head into the house, noting the silence and absence of anyone in his immediate vicinity. No one to stop him…

Before heading off he put a pen and piece of paper in his pocket, just in case. Then, turning towards the woods he sent out his shadow wave once more, holding the path the he could follow for real this time.

***

The end of the trail was only a few miles from the house, but it was down a path that Seth hadn't even traveled and he was going slowly- being careful. Just in case he had his emergency kit; really, would he ever go on an adventure without it?

The shadow trail had become a narrow strip, almost like he was following a string. At the end it just cut off, hanging in the air about a foot from the ground. Seth would have doubted the scope of this new power- how far it could reach outwards, maybe- but he could _feel _how close Warren had to be to the spot where he was standing now. He knelt down and examined the place where the trail ended, but it looked no different from any other random patch of air anywhere in the world. Nothing special, and yet…

Pulling the paper from his pocket Seth hastily scribbled a note:

_Warren-_

_If you find this, quickly put something in to keep track of the place, ok? This is the vent. I'm not sure if it's big enough for you to fit through, but it's our only hope. I can't stay long right now, but I'll be back tonight to check if you've gotten this. Please, don't come out until I'm here; I'll explain later. _

_No one else knows yet that I think you're here. I really, really hope you are. _

_I'll come back for you, soon,_

_-Seth _

All in all, not a very good or descriptive note, but Seth didn't think Warren would mind. If Warren was here, it would be his first contact with the outside world in months. It would be hope… for both of them

If it even worked.

Rather than wait and consider any long- Seth wasn't exactly very good at that anyways- he folded up the note and pushed it halfway into where he imagined the "gap" of the vent would be. Half of the note did seem to disappear, but it could be his imagination or a trick of the light… Hoping beyond hope Seth let the paper go.

It stuck. Perfectly. It didn't slip an inch or flutter to the ground. A small breeze picked up, but the paper stayed where it was…

…before abruptly disappearing.

_What?! _Then Seth realized. The paper disappearing was the point; it meant that whoever was on the other end (please be Warren!) had found it. After a moment something that looked like a broken picture frame appeared in the space.

With that Seth backed away. Though he could have let Warren out now, there was something important that he needed to take care of first…

*******

**Yay! I did it. I hate it, actually… but I decided to try. This is what I came up with. Sorry. The next chapter **_**should **_**be better. I promise. XD**

**Still, review please! Reviews make me want to write.**


	5. Conversations

**I decided I wouldn't put up chapter four until I started chapter five, so here goes! =] I know where the next chapter is going now, I think, but I'm not entirely sure from there. I'll explain more next chapter; I might need some feedback for plot development…? XD Much love to readers, double to reviewers! **

**Disclaimer: Don't own the books… but I love Warren! =]**

Warren scanned the note once again before glancing around him. He took hold of the fist smallish object he saw- a mangled picture frame- and carefully placed it in the invisible hole where the note had come from.

How had Seth found him? He sat back on his heels and glanced over a Bubda. "You can stop searching now," he said. "I found it."

"You leave?" Bubda asked. For a moment, Warren could have sworn his saw a flash of regret cross the troll's face… but only for a moment. It wasn't possible; Bubda hated the company, didn't he?

"You could come with me," Warren told him slowly. "Come stay at Fablehaven?"

The troll considered him for a moment before shaking his head. "No. Bubda stay in home."

Warren sighed once and nodded. "Ok. I'm leaving tonight… whenever that is." Bubda nodded. "What do you say we play another round of Yahtzee?" Warren asked. "One last game?"

The troll stared at him for a moment before nodding. "One game."

***

"Hey Kendra," Seth called up the stairs to their attic room as he climbed them. He stopped in the doorway and looked in at his sister. She was sitting on her bed reading Patton's older journals, the normal ones. "I'm going to the tree house, wanna come?"

"What?" she asked, tearing her gaze from the page hesitantly. "Sorry, I didn't catch that."

Seth rolled his eyes. "Nerd. I said that I'm going to the tree house, if you wanted to come."

"Oh," she said. "No thanks… have fun."

"Sure," Seth said, nodding. "Have fun being a nerd on a bright and sunny day."

She rolled her eyes and continued reading, not even watching to see if he left.

So an hour later, Seth walked along yet another of the Fablehaven's paths, this one familiar but strange in daylight. The fact that he'd never walked this way also made it more confusing. Still, he was confident he could find his way correctly. With his alibi intact, he should be safe from anyone wondering where he was for a couple more hours.

Still, Seth was starting to feel nervous. He hated to admit it, but he was doing something dangerous and stupid. He knew it, and he was doing it anyways.

He was going to visit Graulas, uninvited. If there was a way for him to ask permission he would have, but he didn't know how. So he was risking it, he was going, and he was hoping that he'd get back home at all, regardless of if he was caught wandering the preserve.

Taking a quick breath he stepped into the cave.

"Why have you… come?" Graulas asked. He didn't sound angry or annoyed, but Seth still couldn't be sure… Seth was glad that he was immune to magic fear, because he had enough natural fear shooting through him right now.

"I needed your help and I… I wasn't sure how to ask if it was ok to come, but I had to." Now that Seth had said it he was less afraid. However Graulas responded was out of his control; he could only wait.

"That was brave," Graulas commented, "and foolish."

Seth shrugged. "So is everything else I do."

"Why… are you here?" Graulas asked. "You found… your friend."

"I needed to know if there was anything guarding the vent."

"You have… already… sent things in…" Graulas commented.

"Nothing alive has gone in or out, though," Seth said carefully. "I wanted to be sure that nothing would attack us once I get him out." _If I get him out, _Seth amended.

For a few long moments the only sound in the cavern was the dormant demon's heavy wheezing. Then he replied, "There is a dark creature… guarding the vent. I have never… seen it, but… I can feel its presence…. You would be wise… to be on your guard."

"What should I do?" Seth asked uncertainly. He was proud that his instinct had been correct, but he didn't like that he didn't know what they would be facing. Suddenly, the danger of freeing Warren had shot up a few notches on his internal scale.

"You are… a shadowcharmer. You will… be able… to command it. Use your abilities, Seth…"

Seth nodded slowly. He wasn't sure how well this would work, but there wasn't anything else he could do. "Thank you… for your help."

"Go, Seth," Graulas commanded, weariness entering his voice, "I am tired. I must rest."

"Ok," Seth agreed, nodding once before turning and leaving.

He had survived meeting with Graulas uninvited. He was starting to wonder if possibly his rank as shadowcharmer had given him a free pass. Or perhaps Graulas considered him his student at this point? What reason did the demon have to not kill him?

Seth shrugged it off after a moment's wondering. He was alive and had gained the information that he needed. Nothing else mattered.

***

Seth wasn't caught sneaking out that afternoon, so he only had to wait for Kendra to fall asleep that night before he could sneak out. He took a flashlight and his emergency kit as he set off. It was harder to follow his shadow trail in the dark, but he knew a little of where he was going and could sort of _feel _where it was compelling him to go. Though it took him twice as long, he eventually made it to the place that was the vent. He pulled a folded note from his pocket, traded it for the picture frame that seemed to be hanging in midair, and sat down to wait.

***

**Hey, that wasn't so hard! Lol, I like writing Warren's POV more, I discovered. That must have been where my downfall lay, and why chapter three was so hard to get out there. XD I'm going back to Seth most likely for the next chapter, and the ones to come, but now I might throw Warren in there a bit too. He's fun! =]**

**- K, I'm slipping this note in before I put it up; haven't written six yet! 0.o I'm so mean! I plan to write it if I can finish my chem homework... but that doesn't seem likely. Anyways, I will try to stick w/ my chapter a week pattern that I've worked on developing! I prawn-ness. :D -  
**

**So, please, as always- review! I love feedback; I'm addicted, I think. =] And also as always (wow, lots of a's there!), thank you for reading my story. **


	6. Freed

**Well, I just watched Brandon Mull's Q&A and have two things to say. One, damn, he is so much like me it's scary! Or I guess I'm like him; he's existed longer. But I mean, we write the same general way, same favorite colors, all that random stuff, and it just freaked me out a little. And then it made him my definite #1 favorite author. :D Secondly; my fanfic sucks, I just realized. XD A little late, I guess, and I'm going to keep writing it, but nothing I write will ever begin to compare with his book five. C'est la vie, correct? :D **

**So, though I now feel like this is a horrible idea, on I go with the story. **

**Disclaimer: I don't deserve to own it, only Brandon Mull is that amazazing. But, as always, I will be eternally in love with Warren. :D **

*******

Though he tried to hide it, Warren could tell that Bubda _didn't _want him to leave. And as much as Warren wanted freedom, he felt almost guilty. Trolls didn't make friends; it was pretty much entirely unheard of, and yet…

The atmosphere in the little stuffy storeroom was tense with anticipation.

He glanced up at the vent and noticed that the frame was gone, replaced now by yet another little slip of paper. The first note was in Warren's pocket, folded so that he could feel it poking into his side. It was his way of reminding himself that this _was _real. He was saved. Warren scrambled over to the vent and removed the new note- having now memorized where the invisible space was anyways- and forced himself to calm the steadily growing excitement long enough to read what Seth had to say.

_Warren- _

_I hope you get this soon; I'm not sure how long I can be out because it is very late. I snuck off- save the lecture, you know that Grandma and Grandpa wouldn't have let me come, and it needs to be me. _Warren snorted in amusement at "save the lecture." He'd never really lectured the kid; he'd actually led him to disobeying before this whole mess. Still, Warren supposed he _was _still one of the adults. Maybe he should lecture Seth more often… He let his thoughts trail off as he looked back to the note. _There is a dark creature guarding the vent. Minor items can pass through, but anything alive is safeguarded, which means that your escape will trigger this thing's release. Graulas told me that he doesn't know what it is, but that I should be able to control it using my shadowcharmer powers. I'm not sure; can you bring one of the weapons out with you? Just in case. _

_Hope to see you SOON. _

_~Seth_

Stuffing the letter back into the invisible gap, Warren got up and looked around. He grabbed the first weapon he saw, an ornate sword from their prior expedition (maybe one that he'd chosen himself?) and tested its weight carefully. It seemed well balanced, enough so that it would be good in a fight, so he set it next to the space and once again removed the letter. This note joined the first in his pocket as Warren turned back to Bubda. "Are you sure you won't come?" he asked, trying not to show how hesitant he was to leave his newest friend. It was weird, could never be explained, but he hated that he may never know what would happen to the troll.

"Bubda stay," Bubda told him after a long moment.

"Ok," Warren said, hesitation once more replaced by determination and- dare he let himself feel it?- excitement. "Bye, Bubda. And… thanks."

With his final goodbye said, Warren shoved the sword through the gap and then started to move himself through, feet first, praying that he was slim enough to make it. It took some pushing, and Warren was almost sure he could feel Seth pulling on his feet from the other end, but eventually he toppled out onto the ground.

He lay, panting heavily from the exertion, and looked up at the stars.

_The stars. _He could see the stars! A small breeze played across his face, ruffling his hair, and Warren truly smiled for the first time in months. He sat up abruptly, looking at the boy beside him. "Seth!"

Seth was staring at him in wonder. "I did it… You're free!" Seth's exclamation of excitement was like music. It was someone's voice!

The earth shook slightly and they both remembered…

"Seth?" Warren asked.

Seth visibly swallowed. "Yeah?"

Warren stood and picked up the sword, ready to face whatever this thing was head on. He wouldn't die, not now, not when he was just free. No way. This thing was _going down. _

"Stay behind me."

"But, I can control it!" Seth told him, stubbornness setting in. "You've got to let me try! You can't kill and forfeit protection for no reason!"

Warren felt a chill as he remembered the protections. It was true; killing was not lightly done on Fablehaven grounds.

"All right," Warren agreed hesitantly. "You can try, but only once, and if this thing attacks and fights me, you run, ok?" Seth started to protest, but Warren cut him off. "No, Seth, you run and get help, ok?"

Seth nodded, swallowing as the ground shook again.

"Good," Warren muttered as he unsheathed the sword, preparing for yet another life and death struggle. He couldn't help but grin even as he contemplated his chances of death once more. Stars, but it was _good _to be back in the game again. "And Seth?"

"Yeah?" Seth asked, trying to sulk to cover his fear. Warren grinned at the bravado that never truly left the teen, feeling the echoing bravado in himself.

"Thanks."

Seth grinned in response, turning to face their next adversary.

_This, _they both thought, _was gonna be __**really **__cool. _

***

**Like I said, nowhere near Brandon Mull! 0.o OH well! I did my very bestest! **

**The last line comes from when Seth was arguing with his grandparents in book four to let him go to Wyrmroost and Warren mutters, "but it **_**is **_**going to be cool." Or something like that, you know? I was cracking up there, just like, god he's such a kid! And I love him for it. :D So, I was thinking of this daredevil Warren and that came to mind. :D **

**Reviews keep me going. Really. I'm not quite sure what they're gonna fight! I've been trying to figure it out for… months… it was the reason why I didn't update for two months there! Any suggestions, I'm totally open to hear 'em. Really. :D Pleases and thank you. Thank you to all readers, and reviews make my day happy. **


	7. Fear

**This chapter is weird… there's not really a set POV or anything, it's just general third person. Sorry, I couldn't seem to keep it focused on one! It just… didn't work! Hope you like it anyways, hope my big fight doesn't disappoint. I'm so glad I finally got this written, it's been bugging me since August. :P Reviews are appreciated, but I'm honestly just thankful if you're reading it in general. :D Luvs! **

*******

The thing that appeared before them wasn't giant, but it was taller than Warren and frightening enough to scare Seth speechless.

It wailed loudly and Seth jumped, forgetting his speechlessness. He heard Warren suck in a fast gasp behind him. "What is it?" His voice trembled just the slightest bit.

"Baykok," Warren told him. "Control it, quick, or we're dead."

Seth stared at the thing before him and flinched as it turned its head towards him. Glowing red eyes glared him down and suddenly he couldn't speak. The nasty skeleton-like creature moved quick as a flash and Warren cried out, blood staining his shirt at his right shoulder. "What the heck?" Seth cried out. "How did it… I didn't see…?"

"Invisible arrow," Warren told him, pressing his left hand tightly to his shoulder and hissing at the pain that this caused. "Seth, control it, now!"

"I don't think I can!" Seth told him, panicking. He couldn't do this, and they were going to die…

"Seth, try it now!" Warren commanded, wincing as blood began to blossom lower on his abdomen as well.

Seth faced the creature- the baykok- once more, shuddering at the sight of the nasty yellow-ish and translucent skin that covered the bones and yet made them seem to stick out even more. It had a nasty snarl on its face and its razor sharp teeth glinted as its lips pulled back. Its eyes were focused on Warren's blood.

"Hey!" Seth called out, getting the creature's attention once more. Seth felt his fear diminish and his confidence grow as he recalled Graulas's assurances that this would work. He could control it. "Stop attacking! Leave us alone."

He smirked at him and moved again, presumably to attack… and stopped. It tried again, and once more couldn't seem to move enough. It wailed into the night, furious as its new limitation.

"Go!" Seth told it. "Resume guarding this entrance, but let the two of us pass through whenever we need to."

It glared hatefully at him before it was once again gone. Seth turned to Warren and noted the spreading of blood. "Are you ok?"

Warren grinned slightly. "I've been better, but I've also been far worse. I'll be fine. But…" Warren looked around for a few moments, "I'm not quite sure where we are. Can you lead the way back?"

Seth nodded. "Yeah. Sorry I let it hurt you, I just…"

Warren grinned. "That's fine. Now it seems like a way cooler battle."

Seth couldn't help but grin back. He had controlled some freaky, nasty, dark creature! How cool was that power? This was starting to become useful.

"Think I can control dragons yet?"

"I wouldn't try that," Warren told him. "The results might not be so great if you failed."

Seth just grinned wider. "Bit it'd be awesome if it _didn't _fail."

Warren shook his head, but he said nothing to counter Seth. They both knew it _would _be awesome to control a dragon, why lie and say it wasn't?

"Hey, you healed from the peryton attack!" Seth exclaimed in realization. "I forgot!"

Warren shrugged. "I was in there a long time, but all of the supplies were there. It didn't take too long for me to heal."

Seth laughed. "Dude, you're like _always _hurt."

"That's 'cause I have the coolest adventures."

"Yeah, well, I killed a poison dragon. That's the coolest adventure ever."

Warren didn't bother to disagree. It was. "Hey, what happened after…? Is Kendra ok?"

"Yeah. Navarog's dead."

"What?! How?"

Seth grinned. "Girlie dragon ate him."

Warren laughed for a quick moment. "Wow, I did miss the good stuff. What else have I missed?"

Seth thought for a moment. "Mara's ok, but Dougan died." Warren nodded for Seth to continue. "Grandpa's head of the Knights of Dawn, and he made me one. I'm a Knight now, just like you and Kendra!"

Warren grinned. "High five!" He grinned, knowing that Seth must be proud of his accomplishment. It had taken Warren until he was nineteen to finally become a Knight, but he could admit that the kid was really powerful. "Anything else new?"

"Our parents were taken," Seth said, sadness creeping into his tone. "We haven't found them yet…"

"Aw, I'm sorry. That must be so hard on you guys."

Seth nodded slightly. "At least Kendra's keeping busier. There wasn't really much I could do… until now."

"How did you get me free?" Warren asked, puzzled. "How did you find me?"

Seth seemed to hesitate. "I snuck away to see Graulas and he told me that you were attached to the preserve. That you were close, and that I'd eventually develop a good power to find you. So, I did and I found you and I made sure it was safe to get you out… which led to the baykok.

"What _was _that thing, anyway?"

Warren shrugged. "I've never seen one before tonight, honestly. I just knew what it was from a warning I got when I entered this one preserve. I ended up never having to go near it, though… good thing, I guess, with my luck."

Seth nodded. "Yeah. Dude, you're like a danger magnet."

"What can I say? Goes with the job. Maybe danger will start following your every step soon, too, Seth." They both sincerely hoped it wouldn't more than it already did.

"Naw, you've got back luck enough for the both of us."

"True," Warren agreed. "True."

Before they could continue their conversation they reached the house and saw lights on. Seth laughed. "Of all nights for them to catch me, they sure choose the perfect time."

"They heard the wails, I bet," Warren told him.

"Right!" Seth agreed. "I totally forgot about that."

Grandpa appeared in the doorway. "Seth Sorenson, you get in here this instant! Just when I'd thought we could trust you, you-," he cut off when he saw the person that was standing next to Seth. "Warren?"

The two walked up the steps and stood in front of Grandpa. "I got one of my powers and… I found him," Seth explained, hoping that he wouldn't get in trouble for sneaking out and lose his status as a Knight and his new freedoms.

Grandpa stared in shock for a moment before stepping aside to allow them in the house. "Why didn't you say anything? When did this happen?"

"Today," Seth told him carefully. "I would have told, I swear it, but I had to go and I knew you wouldn't let me!" His voice already had a defensive edge.

"Don't blame him, Stan," Warren added. "He knew it was too dangerous for anyone else to face."

Grandpa turned, presumably to argue with Warren, when he saw the blood. "What happened?"

"Baykok," Warren told him. "Um, I kind of need to…"

"Warren!" Kendra's shriek cut off the rest of his sentence. She was standing at the foot of the stairs, staring at him. Without another word she launched at him, latching on in a hug. "You're back!"

He grinned and hugged her, too. "Yeah, I'm back."

He looked up again and saw Ruth and Dale staring at him. Ruth had a smile wide across her face, but Dale stared uncomprehendingly. "… you're back?" Dale asked uncertainly.

"Yeah, bro, back and better than ever."

Dale's eyes widened. "How?"

Stan cleared his throat. "I think that's something we're all wondering. Warren, get patched up and meet us in the living room…? I think we all need to hear what both of you have to say."

Seth and Warren nodded, quick to follow orders. Seth wasn't quite out of trouble yet- they both knew it. The others filed out of the room and Warren nudged Seth lightly. "I'll get you off the hook; they can't stay mad forever."

Seth shrugged it off and grinned slightly. "They'll be too glad to have you back to stay mad."

Warren headed off to find the first aid, but he realized that even with the kid in hot water it felt _good _to be here, back with his family. He felt loved.

***

**I got three reviews and just was like, gotta write! XD I looked up "mythical creatures and monsters" on google and found this one somewhere in a list… yup. Baykok. The name sounded cool, and when I Google imaged it I was like, "whoa, freaky!" :D I could even imagine Seth getting scared of it. XD **

**Review, please! I'm not really sure where the story is going to go after this… well, I can always cook up a conversation for the next chapter about Seth being in major trouble for breaking rules and Warren working to get him off the hook, but past that I'm out! I know that I need there to be something for Seth and Warren to be tracking, but I don't know what yet… any suggestions? :P thanks for the reviews! :D **


	8. Explanations

**Ok, it's a little short… sorry! And, also, sorry it took so long, but I just had no inspiration! Lol, not many reviews was probably it… XD Or friend drama. Either way. **

**So, it is here now! Really, no action yet, action next chapter is promised though. =] **

**Disclaimer: They are still Brandon Mulls! ~sad face~ lol, but he friended me on facebook. All sad faces are forgiven for that. =] **

***

It took a few minutes, but eventually the entire family was settled in the living room. "Where's Tanu?" Warren asked, looking around. "And Coulter?"

"Doing work for the Knights," Stan informed him.

After that there was silence for a moment as everyone tried to figure out where to go from there. Finally, Kendra spoke up. "Seth… how did you do it?"

"Um…" Seth shifted uncomfortably. "A few days ago I went to see Dale at Warren's cabin and while I was there I heard Graulas call out to me. So… I kinda just went to see him." He glanced at his grandparents, looking just contrite enough, but Warren caught the glint that lingered in his eyes. Seth didn't regret it- he wouldn't take it back for the world. "He told me that Warren was somehow linked to the preserve, that he could feel his presence, but he told me he couldn't tell where. He said I'd eventually find a power that would help me free Warren."

"That explains why you were acting strange," Dale commented after a moment.

"Why didn't you tell us this, Seth?" Stan asked him patiently- as if he was correcting a young child with a mistake they'd made. Seth winced; he hated being treated like a kid.

"It couldn't help much- the vents could still have been anywhere! We still didn't have any way to find him, and it would only have made you all waste time. And… I didn't want you to get mad at me. For sneaking off." Ruth nodded, accepting her grandson's reasons for the moment, but Stan didn't look half as accepting. Before either could say anything, though, Kendra cut in.

"But, how did you get him free?"

Seth grinned. "This was the cool part. All of my frustration at being unable to do anything built up until it exploded out of me in a wave- a search wave. I could feel _everything _that it crossed! So I just learned to control it and focused it on Warren… and I found him."

"That still doesn't explain why you wouldn't have told us then," Stan told Seth sternly. "You should have come to us."

"I would have!" Seth defended himself adamantly. "I promise, Grandpa, I would have, but I didn't think that the vents would have been unguarded. Whoever made that storage space was too smart for that! So, I went back to ask Graulas if he could tell me. I was right. Graulas didn't know what it was guarded by, but he said it was dangerous. He also told me that my powers would let me control it. That's why I had to go."

"You should have told us, Seth," Ruth started, but to their surprise she was cut off- and not by Seth.

"Would you have let him go, Ruth?" Warren asked gently. He had been watching silently as the conversation unfolded, but he owed the kid more than to let him get cooked here- and that was where this was surely headed if he didn't intervene. "He had to be there; he's not lying. All of us together couldn't have taken on that thing without him. There's just no way for a human to fight it."

"But…" Stan started, but he let it trail off. "I suppose you are right, both of you."

"Hey, Seth got me home safe," Warren reminded them. "That's got to earn him some brownie points right there, huh?"

Dale grinned. "No one can get you home _safe, _Warren, just in one piece."

Warren glanced down at the already blood-stained bandages and shrugged. "Ah, well, at least I'm _here, _right?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"So… am I in trouble?" Seth asked carefully.

"As much as I'd like to say yes…" Stan started, "I can't say you were at fault."

"Just don't ever do it again," Ruth supplied.

Kendra rolled her eyes. "Even in your stupidity you avoid trouble. How do you do it, Seth?"

He shoved her lightly. "I'm just cooler than you, and you know it."

"In your unicorn filled dreams, dork."

"Nerd."

"Whatever." She smiled, letting him win. That would annoy him more, anyways.

Dale glanced around and smiled at his family- all of them, little brother finally included once more. "I think this calls for a celebration. Let's go finish off that cake the brownies made yesterday, ok?"

Ruth nodded. "I'll bring out the cookies Kendra and I made today," she added, heading off for the kitchen. Everyone slowly followed until it was only Warren and Seth left.

"What happened to Bubda?" Seth asked suddenly, thinking about his friend.

Warren looked down at the ground before meeting Seth's eyes. "He didn't want to come out."

Seth nodded. "That sounds like him."

"Yeah, but…" Warren trailed off before he could continue on- he'd hoped…

"You coming?" Kendra asked, appearing in the doorway. "We can't have a party if the guests of honor aren't there!"

"Coming in a second," Warren promised, grinning. "Save me some of that cake! Don't let my brother take it all."

"Will do," she promised, heading back towards the kitchen.

"Bet she doesn't save any for me," Seth muttered, grinning slightly too nonetheless. The grin faded. "How long can he stay there?"

"A good couple years," Warren said. "There were a lot of provisions left. I was thinking… we could always take him more, you know?"

Seth nodded. "We will." _If we're still alive in a couple of years, _his brain reminded him. _If zzyxx isn't opened by that time…. _

"Come on, let's get some of that cake before it's gone!" Warren said, hopping up and once again becoming his normal happy self. How did he bounce back from everything so fast?

Just as Seth stood up to follow him a piercing wail split the air.

"Is that…?" Seth started.

"… the baykok," Warren finished.

They looked at each other and understood. Either the baykok was reaction to Bubda leaving or something entering the storage space. Both ways, this wasn't good.

Without a backward glance the two turned and ran from the house to rescue their friend.

The thought almost stopped each of them short. Their friend. How had the troll become their friend?

But he had, and they kept moving to rescue him. Of course.

Because that's what you did for friends.

***

**Ok, cheesy ending, but it's past midnight and though both my ex and current boyfriend are keeping me awake (meanies, luv them tho) I want to finish this and go to sleep. Sorry I rushed it! Sorry it's short! **

**Basically, I'm giving the fight another shot for Frankiegirl61. 'Cause, I agree, there did need to be more of a fight. =] And thanks for asking me to update, that's why I decided to. =] **


	9. Author's Note

**A/N: **

**Ok, first off, I'm sorry if it's been forever since I've updated.... I kinda meant to, and then got caught up w/ school.**

**But now, I have indefinitely busted my computer, and so I'm just giving you a notice saying that I am not very sure when I'll be updating now... I can't really type a whole lot. :O My poor baby! I need a new comp now (~sad face~ this one got me thru Jr. High) and I will try to get that soon, but for now I think my baby is more or less only up to letting me read and do schoolwork. :( **

**Anyways, luvs, will try to update ASAP once I get a new comp or my baby is well rested. =] **

**~lynx  
**


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